Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Paying the Piper

Have you ever heard the story of the Pied Piper? It's a horrifying legend that goes something like this.

During the Middle Ages, a small town in Germany had a rat problem. A man in a colorful outfit who played a pipe claimed he could lure them away from the town, and so the mayor agreed to pay him to do so. He plays his pipe and the rats follow him out of town and drown in the river. The town, however, reneges on their promise to pay and as retribution the Pied Piper uses his pipe to lure all the children to a cave where he seals them in. Three children manage to survive because of their handicaps--a lame child who was unable to keep up, a deaf child who couldn't hear the music, and a blind child unable to see where he was going--and inform the parents (who were leaving church) of the fate of the rest of the children.


We've got a piper to pay today, too. Goes something like this:


Looks like you've got a problem here. Here's what I can do for you.
First of all, you need to know that what's inside of you is not human. 
We call it a 'product of conception.' 
We'll take care of it for you so you can get back to your life. 
That's why you're here.

We'll set up shop in your town, or you come to ours.
You need to pay, of course--not a lot, and we work on a sliding scale. 
We'll take cash, check, or charge. 
[But what the Boss really wants is your soul. That's the real payment.]
And once we have it, don't think about reneging--you will regret it. I guarantee it.

There's a man that comes around here whispering all kinds of lies. 
Telling them it's a baby, your baby, HIS baby. 
Makes all kinds of promises, that he'll provide, that "things will work out" as long as you trust him. That he loves you, loves the "baby", loves everyone.
We have security but sometimes he slips through.
Sometimes we lose clients before their procedures, change their mind. We lose them. He's a real menace.

After everything's done and we cash the check, you're good to go.
[But remember our promise]
Best thing to do is not think about it. Busy busy.

He's the only one who can ransom your soul--the real payment--which belongs to us [but which he thinks is his]
He'll give everything for it. Like I said, he's a menace.
But if this happens, rest assured
You'll realize you lost a child. We'll make sure of it. 
We make it hurt. But he makes you feel it.

To make up for lost cases we've been working a different angle, with couples, these days.
Downs is big. Deaf, blind, lame, that works too.
Boss says scare tactics work best. Worst-case-scenarios.
Lifetime of burden we tell them. 
The choice, of course, is up to you. It's ok. You're not really equipped. 
People will understand. Defective products are meant to be returned.

He works really hard for them, though, the man. Says they're a special gift.
Special because they don't see, hear, think the same that other "people" do. 
They don't fall for the same traps. Perpetual children. So dependent.
He stays close to them. Like I said, a real menace that one.

He holds the key to the tomb where we keep the medical waste.
I don't know how he got it, but he has it, and hard as we try we can't wrestle it from him.
He's coming back for them, he says.
He's coming for you too.
We've got cameras and all, but, you know. Well.

But like I said, stay busy busy. Stay away from quiet places and you should be alright.
When he breaks in, gets in your head, in your heart, when you're lying in bed, you can call, leave a message.
We're short-staffed though, so, you know. 

He's persistent. A real menace. 
We've got our lawyers on him, but hard to make a case.
He's hungry for souls. We are too. 
But man, he'll leave it all.
Just for you. 

 

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